


All I Know Since Yesterday

by katayla



Category: Austin & Murry-O'Keefe Families - Madeleine L'Engle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2018-01-05 23:38:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1099903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katayla/pseuds/katayla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just how did Suzy and Dave end up together?</p>
            </blockquote>





	All I Know Since Yesterday

**Author's Note:**

  * For [empressearwig](https://archiveofourown.org/users/empressearwig/gifts).



Suzy had been in the city for several weeks before she visited their old neighborhood. The hospital kept her busy and she wasn't sure what she'd find. She hadn't kept in touch with everyone, like her siblings had. Vicky and Rob had always been so much better at forming lasting friendships.

People liked Suzy, were drawn to her, but then they slipped away. Vicky was the one who had made lifelong friends wherever they went. And Vicky was the one who had been bugging her to go by the Cathedral and say hi to Dave.

Dave, the seminary student.

Suzy had never been able to decide what she thought about God. She'd have guessed Dave felt the same way, yet Vicky said it was perfect for him. Vicky understood people better than Suzy did, sometimes.

The Cathedral looked much the same, but Suzy looked for any small detail that had changed. Rob would question her about it the next time he called her. He would've came here right away, probably before he'd unpacked anything at all. And he'd have caught up with all of his old friends and met everyone new in the Cathedral by nightfall.

"Suzy Austin?"

Suzy turned at the voice. "Dean de Henares."

He reached out his hand in greeting. "I heard you had returned to the city."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come by."

"Dave will be happy to see you. You Austins still mean a great deal to him."

How she wished that _you Austins_ meant Suzy herself. She'd found a place for herself in college, in med school, but all of a sudden she felt like pretty little Suzy Austin again. The one who didn't quite fit in her own family.

But she simply smiled and said, "Everyone told me to say hi to him."

"Why don't you accompany me back home? Dave's studying, but I'm sure he'd welcome a break to greet an old friend," the Dean said.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude."

The Dean smiled. "Come. Pretend you're your little brother and join us for tea."

*

"Dave, look who I've brought home with me," the Dean said, as he opened the door.

Dave jumped up from the table, where he had several books spread open. He looked at her for a long moment, almost as if he didn't recognize her, even though everyone told her she hadn't changed much since she was a kid.

Dave had. And he hadn't. He looked calm, something she never associated with the old Dave. And handsome, but she'd always thought that.

"Suzy," he said, at last.

She liked that he'd left off the Austin. Sometimes she'd much rather be Suzy than Suzy Austin.

He clasped her hand in his and the warmth of his embrace was an unexpected welcome.

*

Suzy went to the Cathedral every Sunday she didn't have a shift at the hospital. Dave fit in here. He had found his place. He moved among the parishioners and they all lit up as he stopped to speak with them.

Sometimes, she slipped out before he got to her. Dave might fit in here, but she was never quite sure she did. It hadn't been her place, this Cathedral. Rob had claimed it so early.

But today, she lingered. It had been a long week at work and maybe, just maybe, if she stood here long enough, that famous peace of the church would soak into her.

"I'm glad to see you here so often," Dave said, when he reached her.

"I'm glad to be here."

They smiled at each other and then Dave looked away. "I suppose you're busy at the hospital."

"Yes, but it's . . . good."

"I am impressed you became what you planned to be."

"You mean, unlike you?"

And now Dave scoffed at the ground, like he was still a teenager. "I was wrong about a lot of things back then, Suzy."

"Weren't we all?"

*

Suzy took one last look at the patient chart and entered the room.

"And how are you feeling today, Mrs. Renier? Oh, Dave!"

For Dave was sitting next to her patient's bed. He stood up to greet her.

"Dr. Austin," he said, a smile on his face.

"Dave, I didn't expect--" she broke off, not sure what she meant to say.

He grinned. "I often visit church members. I've been here before, but you didn't see me."

"Well, you should've said hi," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Mrs. Renier cleared her throat. "Far be it for me to interrupt, but I believe Dr. Austin is here to see me."

"Oh, I apologize!" Suzy said.

"It's not your fault," Mrs. Renier said. "Dave can be quite distracting."

Dave shook his head. "And here I thought you believed I could do no wrong."

"You're a good boy," Mrs. Renier said. "Thank you for visiting me."

Dave reached down to touch her hand. "I'll come by again soon. Good-bye, Suzy."

"Good-bye."

*

Dave was waiting for her when Suzy exited Mrs. Renier's room.

"I thought you left!" she said.

He shrugged. "I was hoping you had a free minute or two. We could grab some coffee."

"Dave . . . ."

"It's no good only seeing you for a minute or two at the Cathedral. Let's go somewhere where we can really catch up."

"Dave," Suzy said. All of a sudden, she had to know. "Did you hate me back then?"

Dave blinked. "Of course not."

"It's just--I keep expecting you to start pumping me about my siblings. You always seemed to like them better than you liked me."

"Like I said, I was wrong about a lot of things back then."

*

It was snowing as Suzy walked to the Cathedral. The snow had always done something to her, made her forget to be entirely practical and scientific. Surely, there was magic lurking around every corner today.

And the Cathedral itself looked like one of Rob's fairy tales, all covered in a light dusting of snow and gleaming softly in the sunlight.

But the Cathedral wasn't just Rob's now. It was hers, too.

Dave waited for her at the gate. She moved toward him and they were caught up and lifted in the swirling snow and light and she felt his arms around her and he held her close.

**Author's Note:**

> The last line is, of course, an homage to the end of _A Ring of Endless Light_.


End file.
